There are businesses. Then there are businesses.

When aspiring entrepreneurs approach me and say, “I’m thinking of starting [fill in the blank type of business], what should I do first?” I tell them one thing… Go study similar businesses and competitors… then go do the opposite.

Too many people think, “Man, I really want to start a restaurant.” Then they do it. The problem? 99% of them do what everyone else is doing. They follow the status quo. They follow the standard definition of what a ‘restaurant’ is. There is nothing that makes them an anomaly. When I say, “go do the opposite,” what I really mean is, “go figure out what makes you unique.”

I had family come into town this evening from Pennsylvania and we decided to take them out to dinner in Gainesville. Where did we take them? Where do you think we took them? We took them to THE Gainesville restaurant… Satchel’s. If you have been there, then you know that this dessert menu isn’t the only unique part of your pizza dining experience. It’s probably only 1 of 10,000 unique things at Satchel’s. They get it. It isn’t just ‘another restaurant.’ [Plus they really care about this community. #doublebonus]

Since I am raving about one pizza place, I may as well rave about another. I saw this video last night. Again… taking something as simple as pizza and creating a unique experience. And in this case, also paying it forward… It’s 2 minutes long and worth it. Watch it.